Worse Than Enemies

“Thank you.” Before I can slide around him, he places a hand against the wall on either side of me, locking me in place.

“You still didn’t answer my question.” He lowers his head, and I smell alcohol on his breath, mixed with the faint scent of chlorine. I’m sure he took a shower after swimming, but it seems to stick to him. “Are you going in? Or are you going to stay out here and wonder what it would be like?”

“I’m not interested.”

“Then why did you show up in a shirt that’s practically see-through? And you’re not wearing a bra.” When he looks down at my chest, I don’t know if I want to crumple up and die or if I want him to touch me.

“For someone who hates me, you care a lot about what I’m wearing. And like I said, I’m not interested in that kind of thing.”

“In general, or what’s going on in there?” His eyes flash as he gives me a nasty smile. “Because from what I remember, you can be very interested under the correct conditions.”

My face is hot, and I’m sweating, but I don’t want him to see he’s the reason for it. I know I’m fighting a losing battle but crumbling in front of him would be too humiliating. “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Aren’t you going in? Why are you wasting time out here with me?”

“Do you hope I am? Maybe you would like to watch me in action. Is that what gets you off?”

I don’t even know what gets me off. He’s probably guessed by now that I’m a virgin, or at least inexperienced. I know that’s why he’s doing this. He sees how uncomfortable I am.

“Is this what gets you off?” I ask. “Intimidating me?”

“Do I intimidate you?”

“No. You make me sad.”

Hayes frowns, his eyes narrowing a split second before he backs off. “Fuck you. And if I wanted to, I’d be in there. But I have a meet tomorrow. I can’t waste my energy.” He walks away, and I slump against the wall while trying to catch my breath.

How does he do it to me? And why? He’s the one who keeps telling me to leave him alone, but he was practically on top of me before I even knew it.

I need fresh air. As soon as he’s out of sight, I fight my way down the stairs. It’s difficult with so many people sitting here and there, drinking and smoking, but eventually, I make it to the first floor and through the house and out the back door. The blast of air against my flushed face feels good. I take a deep breath, pulling in all the air I can.

People are all over the place out here, just like inside. Some are sitting on the ground, and some are hanging out by the pool. A few girls are swimming in their underwear. There’s a firepit off to the side with chairs positioned around it. A familiar head of red hair draws my attention, and I make a beeline for her.

“Hey!” Salem jumps up from her chair and stumbles over to me before throwing her arms around my neck. “There you are!”

“Where have you been?” I give her a brief hug and notice the way she’s kind of hanging on me. She reeks of alcohol, too, even worse than Hayes.

“Just having fun. I’m sorry I lost you.” She giggles before almost touching her mouth to my ear. “Isn’t he hot?” Salem slides a look toward the guy she was sitting next to before I found her.

“I guess so.” That’s not the first word that comes to my mind when I look at him. Scary is more like it. If he didn’t look like he was planning to commit murder, he might be hot with his dark hair and eyes and a wide, square jaw. His nose is a little crooked, like it’s been broken, but it makes his face interesting. A shiver runs down my spine when our eyes meet across the fire.

Salem stumbles against me again and pulls my attention away from him. “Are you okay?” I ask. “How much have you had?”

She lifts a shoulder. “I don’t know. So what?”

“Maybe you should have some water.” I was thinking she would take care of me tonight, but I’m now taking care of her. I don’t mind. It’s better than watching for Hayes over my shoulder wherever I go.

“I wanna hang out with Logan.”

“We’ll come back and find Logan.” I offer him a shrug before putting an arm around her waist and trying to lead her toward where I know there’s bottled water waiting in a cooler.

“You know what?” she asks. “Men are fucking stupid. I hate them. They act like we’re the ones who play games, but it’s always them.”